Random Thinking

Here is this week’s song. This is one of those groups that are exceptionally good but never achieved commercial success.

The Waterboys is described as a Celtic folk music and rock and roll band from Great Britain The group was formed by Mike Scott in 1983. Scott has been the only permanent member of the group which has had 50 members during its life. Among the members of the group from its first years other than Scott were Steve Wickham (fiddle), Anthony Thistlethwaite (saxophone), Kevin Wilkinson (drums), Roddy Lorimer (horns), and Karl Wallinger (keyboards). The songs of The Waterboys often contain literary references and are frequently concerned with spirituality. Scott has described the music as “a metaphor for seeing God’s signature in the world.” The group has received much praise from critics but has never received the commercial success that some of its members have had independently. The group broke up in 1993 when Scott took on a solo career but they reformed in 1999 although the only members from the original years still in the group are Scott and Wickham.

The style of group’s music has gone through several changes during their long life with the first three albums being dubbed as “The Big Music” based on the title of a single from their second album. Their music from the second half of the 1980′s tended to have more of a folk sound. Their current sound is back to their rock and roll roots. The third album, This Is The Sea, has been the group’s most successful. It peaked at 37 in the UK charts but Scott refused to lip synch which prevented the group from getting exposure on rock shows such as Top of the Pops. The single Whole of the Moon from that album has been their most popular song on the UK charts although it did not chart in the US. The group has had four other singles reach the Top 20 in the US.

Whole of the Moon
I pictured a rainbow
You held it in your hand
I had flashes
You saw the plan
I wandered out in the world for years
While you just stayed in your room
I saw the crescent
You saw the whole of the moon
The whole of the moon

You were there in the turnstiles
With the wind at your heels
You stretched for the stars
And you know how it feels
To reach too high
Too far
Too soon
You saw the whole of the moon

I was grounded
While you filled the skies
I was dumbfounded by truth
You cut through lies
I saw the rain dirty valley
You saw “Brigadoon”
I saw the crescent
You saw the whole of the moon

I spoke about wings
You just flew
I wondered, I guessed and I tried
You just knew
I sighed
And you swooned
I saw the crescent
You saw the whole of the moon
The whole of the moon
The whole of the moon

The torch in your pocket
And the wind on your heels
You climbed on a ladder
And you know how it feels
To get too high
Too far
Too soon
You saw the whole of the moon
The whole of the moon

Popcorn and cannonballs
All the season’s fears
Trumpets, towers, and tenements
Wide oceans full of tears
Flags, rags, ferryboats
Senators and scars
Every precious dream and vision
Underneath the stars
Yes, you climbed on a ladder
With the wind in your sails
You came like a comet
Blazing your trail
Too high
Too far
Too soon
You saw the whole of the moon